How to Launch an App on Apples App Store - Part 1 of 3

Everyday, hundreds of new apps are launched on Apple's App Store, just waiting to be downloaded, played, shared and discovered. But have you ever wondered what it takes to get up-and-running on Apple's ever-growing.

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How to Launch an App on Apple's App Store: Part 1 (of 3)Everyday, hundreds of new apps are launched on Apple's App Store, just waiting to be downloaded, played, shared and discovered. But have you ever wondered what it takes to get up-and-running on Apple's ever-growing, app-distributing platform, The App Store? Maybe you have an idea for the next greatest app. Or, maybe your company is looking to create a more efficient communication logging system for employees. Regardless of the reason, understanding what it takes to launch an app on the App Store will give you the insight you need to move forward.

When it comes to creating an app that's really going to resonate with users, there really are no guarantees. That is, there's no one-size-fits-all approach to finding that sweet spot. Apps that were predicted to grow exponentially ended up tanking. Others that were barely noticed at first ended up going viral, continuing on to make millions of dollars in revenue.

But before you're even able to start distributing your app on the App Store, there are several steps you're going to have to take first. In this three-part series, we're going to cover a lot of ground. So, without further explanation, let's dive right in.

Agreements, Tax Specifications and Important Banking InformationThe first - and perhaps the most important - step to selling your app on the App Store is to get all your important business-related information set up and ready to go. Just like any other

E-commerce medium, Apple's going to want to make sure you're a real business. You can't just create an app and distribute it, unfortunately. Which means you must reference important documentation such as managing agreements, as well as specify tax- and banking-related information about your business. Knowing this, it's probably best to have all of this information figured out well ahead of time as to help expedite the process.

Setting Up Your User's AccountsOkay, so, now you've set up all your important business-related information. The next thing listed on Apple's checklist is to set up user accounts and hierarchy. This sounds pretty straight-forward, right? Unfortunately, there are a few layers hidden in plain sight here. Fortunately, none of them are all that complicated.

When you begin setting up user accounts in iTunes Connect, you're going to want to specify each user's role. Admins - being the users with the highest level of permissions - can set up three types of users:

2. TestFlight Beta testers: These users have the ability to test your app once it's been launched.

3. Sandbox testers: These users can test development-mode apps with Apple technologies such as In-App Purchase and Game Center.

Don't be frightened by all these users, though. If you're a smaller company or a one-person team, the Team Agent (Admin) is likely going to be the only type of user you'll have to set up at first.

Once you've created the users, you'll have the ability to add or remove them in the future, enable/disable certain permissions, and even change their names.

Submit Your App To the App StoreOnce you've taken care of all the business-related stuff, and set up your user's accounts, it's now time to submit your app to the App Store. But before you actually do so, you're going to want to check out Apple's documentation on preparing your app for uploading, so that you can streamline the app review process (a topic we'll cover in the next article).

Unfortunately, this is where things get a bit more technical in nature. So, if you're working with a developer, you may want to bring him or her in now. If you don't have a developer on hand, Apple provides enough documentation to help get even the most novice of app distributors started. If you're uncomfortable learning this sort of thing, it may be best to find a developer who can help.

The RecapAlthough we've covered a decent amount of ground in this first article, next week, we're going to dive in to even more detail regarding the submission of your app to the App Store, along with other aspects of the distribution and testing processes. This article was meant only to be a starting point. But that's okay, because your app is worth the time, am I right?

In this article author writes about Web Apps Developer in Tampa. SourceTOAD is a custom software engineering firm. We build everything from giant insurance quoting systems on the web, to startup sized iPhone games.